Its time for my 6.7 to have her first oil change@ 7000miles, Lookin for imput, kind of oil, senthitic or not, brand, oil fiter, I dont know, things to look for during the change? Ive always had gasser but not now. It be my first oil change on a diesel myself

 

I've always been a Rotella fan Use ONLY Cummins/Fleetguard stratapore filters!

 

I like Delo 400. I would stay away from synthetic for the first 15 to 20,000 miles to let her break-in fully. Also, be prepared for a possible battle with your filter. Mine was so tight I had to get a special filter wrench and almost broke it getting it off.

 

Any of the big 3 oil brands will be fine. (Mobil Delvac 1300, Rotella, Delo 400) All 3 are great oils and will serve you well.

Just make sure it is a CJ-4 rated oil and Cummins CES 20081 Approved, which, all three brands above are.

 

I HIGHLY recomend a strap style filter wrench... universal, buy at any parts store, and work very well!

 

Everyone has great imput as usuall, you don't want a full synthetic just yet. I used Valvoline Blue Tech a very low soot formula specifically designed in conjunction with Cummins, so it was made for these engines, Filters they hit on the spot, however you might want to look at putting in a By-pass oil filter, might be pricy but, they double filter your oil down to 1 micron, thereby taking out the soot that builds up and slowley erodes your Engine so basically there is no excuse why not to get one, I dont' want to say if you don't have one your wrong but why not do what you can to protect your investment? Look at FS-2500. Also did you get an overhead or are you just on a 7000 mile oil change intreval? If you do get the FS-2500 you'll notice your drain intrevals will be extended dramatically.

 

Why is it so important to use ONLY Fleetguard?

 

Good question D-Roc. Really, the only brand that should be avoided is Fram. I've read that it is on a list of non-approved filters that could actually void warranty if it is used. I'm not sure if there's any truth to this, but I know that by using Fleetguard (which is owned by Cummins), this will never be an issue. It's pretty much like oil... almost everyone has a brand that they swear by and they will tend to stick with it. Myself, I use Unocal Guardol ECT 15W40 and the truck loves it, along with Stratopore Fleetguard filters. The FS-2500 does appear to be a good add-on and at $45/oil charge (done by me) or $90 at the dealer, it would take long for it to pay for itself if it extends the drain intervals as it says it can.

 

The only reason I ask, is to try and eliminate some confusion on the subject. As far as I know, that list of approved filters was for 2nd gen trucks, (I can't recall the year it came out) as they (dealers) were having problems with Fram. In addition, I do not believe that this "list" has even been updated for current model years- If I am incorrect, please clarify. I certainly would not use Fram, but there are other high quality filters out there that are just as good as Fleetguard (a few are actually more efficient). I find that a rumor can sometimes stretch the boundaries of truth and fact. Fact is a company cannot force an owner to use a certain brand (if they do, they must foot the cost themselves- MM act). There are many high quality filters out there, and to perpetuate that only ONE brand should be used should be discouraged.

 

Be prepared for the 3 gallons of oil that comes out of the pan!! I thought my drain pain was going to overflow. I also need a filter wrench along with some muscle and time to get the filter off the first time. Don't switch to synthetic until at least 20k.

 

Fram is known to have a small plastic peice that basically holds the whole thing together, studies have shown that this piece has fallen off during use and caused engine problems, I've also read that toughguard does not utilize this type of fitting. and the biggest reason to use a by-pass oil filter is it dramatically reduces soot sand, dust, small particals of metal caused by engine wear that our full flow filters do not get, our full flow filters catch the big things, not sure what would be floating around in your engine oil, but that is the main concept behind the filter keep oil flowing at a high rate, catch big end items, the by-pass filters take a small fraction of oil at a time slowly, clean it and dump the cleaned oil back through your oil fill cap, ulitmatley resulting in all of your oil being filtered to 1 micron. Some people wouldn't consider it a big deal, but if you plan on keeping your truck till it falls apart like I do, its a great investment.

 

Also be a good time to grease all the zerts on the front end including the front drive shaft fitting, check all the fluids.

 

One good reason to use a Fleetguard Stratapore is if you do have oil related problem no dealer will give you any Bull about using a Fleetguard or question if its an approved filter. Also if you ever had an oil filter related problem you know Cummins will take care of you.

 

there are plenty of times I will use a non-OEM part... I just see no reason not to use a Cummins filter... they are readily available and there's no question as to if it's going to work or not.

just out of curiousity, which are the few that are more efficient and how much do they cost?

thanks in advance

 

Sorry to bring up an old post, but I'm about to change my oil. Where do you all purchase the Cummins/Fleetguard filter? Certain site online that has good deals? Dealer?

Just looking for the best deal.
Thanks!